Significance: The West Baden Springs Hotel is notable as an engineering achievement and as a testament to an opulent social era. The main building was erected in 1901-02 after a disastrous fire destroyed an earlier hotel on the site. The energetic owner of the hotel, Lee Wiley Sinclair, has been given credit for the general idea of constructing a domed circular court surrounded by guest rooms. The actual design was carried out by a young West Virginia architect, Harrison Albright. The dome was designed by Oliver J. Westcott of the Illinois Steel Company in Chicago. The hotel is a six story structure with a 16-sided exterior enclosing two rings of rooms around the domed court which rises the full height of the building. Its principle feature is the dome itself, which is supported 24 steel ribs, and has a diameter of 195 feet. At the time of its construction, its owners, supported by the leading technical journals, claimed it to be the largest dome in the world. The great size and elegant engineering of the dome make the West Baden Springs Hotel a climax in the great era of experimentation in the use of metal and glass during the 19th century. The building also played a significant role in American social history, attracting many celebrities during the first three decades of the 20th century. Guest came at first for the mineral waters available in West Baden, but increasingly during the 1910's and 20's the main attraction at the hotel was gambling. After the hotel closed its doors during the Depression, the building became a Jesuit seminary. Since 1967, it has housed a private college.

The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in
its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to
publish or otherwise distribute the material. For further rights
information, see "Rights Information" below and the Rights and
Restrictions Information page
(
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/rights.html
).

If Digital Images Are Displaying

You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).

Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.

Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).

If possible, include a printout of the photograph.

Drawings--All drawings are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.

Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)

If possible, include a printout of the drawing.

Data Pages

Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.

If Digital Images Are Not Displaying

In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR

You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):

Make note of the Call Number listed above.

Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:

The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.

All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to
fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room
to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate
(substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital
image, a copy print, or microfilm.

Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will
be visible on the left.)

Yes, the item is digitized.
Please use the digital image in preference to requesting
the original. All images can be viewed at a large size
when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress.
In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available
when you are outside the Library of Congress because the
item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for
rights restrictions.

As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an
original item when a digital image is available. If you
have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with
a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply
too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic
negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also
easier to see online where they are presented as positive
images.)

If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another
surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs
Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a
few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the
same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in
both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room,
please use our Ask A Librarian service or
call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.